Too Much Data

November 13, 2012

Big Data is getting lots of attention. Will that mean more resources for managing it.

Many data professionals these days feel like they are working with too much data. Queries run slow, storage is constantly a concern, and our hardware is outgrown on a regular basis by the sheer amount of data that we need to manage. It’s a good thing that “Big Data” is in the news since it focuses more attention on the issues of data management and growth in our systems.

Some companies are taking the idea of managing their data more seriously. Boeing and Nike are talked about in this piece about coping with large amounts of data. With the vast amount of growth in the data stores these two companies work with, they had to find ways to ensure that business people could effectively find the information they needed in a sea of data.

It’s an interesting read and one that you might pass on to your management. The solutions aren’t new and innovative; they’re back to basics ideas. Have a central warehouse, use a data strategy that includes strong models and enforces data quality. Integrate your systems to allow a better view of your entire enterprise. These are the ideas that many data professionals preach, but are rarely found in many companies.

Sometimes a new perspective helps, and articles like the one above can help you convince managers of the need to raise your data quality and enforce some standards.